The 2014 Free Application for Federal Student Aid or Fafsa—which calculates income, assets and family size—now collects financial information about parents “regardless of marital status or gender.” Since the Supreme Court ruled that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional, same-sex couples must report their marital status if they were married in a state where same-sex unions are legal but reside in a state where they are not, or even if they were married in a foreign country. If the student is one half of a same-sex marriage, he or she may also be considered to have independent financial means. “It’s a recognition of diverse family structures,” says Greg McBride, chief financial analyst with Bankrate.com.

The key factor for all parents is whether they live in the same home as their children. Whether they are married or just cohabitating, both parents must report their financial information.

There are other new twists in this year’s application: If a student’s parents are unmarried but are living together, they’re now treated as though they were married. “This includes both divorced and never-married parents,” says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of Edvisors.com , a network of websites about planning and paying for college. “And living apart means maintaining separate residences. Different floors of the same house don’t count.” Fafsa also requires applicants to answer questions about the parent they lived with most during the past 12 months and include a stepparent’s income. In all cases, both partners’ income and assets must be reported on the Fafsa, and all children are counted in household size….

… if the parents of the student seeking aid are unmarried and living separately, only one parent is responsible for completing the Fafsa.

In some cases this new ruling could increase chances of receiving financing aid.

… However, in some circumstances, the recognition of two gay parents would increase a dependent student’s aid eligibility. (A dependent student’s need may marginally increase with the addition of a second parent because it increases the size of the household. If that increased need exceeds the amount by which the second parent’s income reduces the student’s need, he or she could be eligible for more aid.)